Ehsan Abdollahi has been invited to Edinburgh to speak about his books.
Photograph: Courtesy of Tiny Owl

A respected Iranian illustrator who came under the spotlight after he was denied entry to the UK to attend the Edinburgh international book festival has been granted a visa.

Ehsan Abdollahi’s original visa application was declined by the Home Office despite the festival’s invitation to him to speak about his books. But the decision has been overturned by the British embassy in Tehran.

The visa refusal caused uproar among festival organisers and book lovers, who complained it was the third consecutive year that Iranian authors and illustrators of children’s books had been denied UK entry to attend festivals.

Adbollahi’s publisher, Tiny Owl, which promotes Persian books for children, and the festival said in a statement they were “absolutely thrilled” that the decision had been overturned after “enormous public support”.

“The fact that the embassy granted Ehsan Abdollahi’s visa is a cause for great hope,” Tiny Owl’s co-founder, Delaram Ghanimifard, told the Guardian. “At a time when the subject of walls, of borders and barriers is ever present, we should remember that we all have something to learn from one another. Art is for everyone – it isn’t limited to one region or country.”

The reversal comes amid growing criticism of the UK’s handling of Iranian visas. Iranians say they are routinely refused visas even after submitting sufficient supporting documents. They accuse the UK of making it difficult for them to apply for a visa by offering only rare appointments in Tehran, forcing many to make an expensive trip to neighbouring countries to apply.

He said: “I couldn’t believe the support of people in the UK and beyond. It made me feel very welcome,.

“My book When I Coloured in the World, written by the wonderful Iranian poet Ahmadreza Ahmadi, is all about making bad things good. He talks about rubbing out the word ‘despair’ and replacing it with ‘hope’ so I felt that this had happened to me. It made me very happy.”